FORT WORTH, Texas (June 18, 2025)— U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins today announced Moore Airfield Base in South Texas as a location for a U.S.-based sterile fly dispersal facility to combat the spread of the New World screwworm (NWS). The announcement comes after a resurgence of NWS in southern Mexico that has prompted significant actions from both lawmakers and federal agencies to protect the U.S. agricultural industry.
Stephen Diebel, Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association first vice president, attended the announcement to show the association’s support and emphasize the importance of protecting the U.S. beef herd.
“Today’s announcement is pivotal in protecting the U.S. cattle industry,” Diebel said. “Sterile flies are the only known way to stop the reproduction and continued expansion of NWS, and it’s assuring to see Secretary Rollins follow through her early commitments to increasing production of sterile flies domestically.”
The dispersal facility is anticipated to be complete by the end of 2025, with future plans for a domestic fly rearing facility. Before this announcement, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved $165 million in emergency funding to combat NWS. These funds have been committed to support the release of sterile male flies to control the screwworm population and the establishment of USDA-approved inspection and treatment holding pens near the border.
As the only sterile fly facility in the world, COPEG in Pacora, Panamá is currently operating at full capacity and producing up to 117 million flies per week. As the NWS migrates north, the need for additional flies will continue to rise. While NWS can be treated, the only proven method for eradication is releasing sterile male flies to mate with wild females to collapse the population over time. The U.S. owned a facility in Chiapas during the screwworm outbreak in the 1960s, but it has since been closed.
“Texas cattle raisers are taking the threat of NWS seriously, and to have leadership who understand the importance of mitigation efforts will help protect the U.S. beef herd,” said Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association President Carl Ray Polk Jr. “These actions, including steps to protect our beef supply at key entry points, will be essential to prevent the spread of NWS and safeguard the livelihoods of ranchers and landowners across the continent.”
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